Property Record
901 MAIN ST
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | W.C.Russell-C.B.Solberg House |
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| Other Name: | Donald Johnson Realty Office |
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| Reference Number: | 33170 |
| Location (Address): | 901 MAIN ST |
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| County: | La Crosse |
| City: | La Crosse |
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| Year Built: | 1876 |
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| Additions: | 1884 |
| Survey Date: | 19962017 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Second Empire |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Stucco |
| Architect: | William Nichols |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | Paired scroll brackets under the eaves of the concave mansard roof and the bay wndows; round arched dormer windows and large center facade window. Three sided bay flanking the entrance and short columns on masonry bases support the front balcony and porch roof; round arched entrance with stained glass over light in "rising sun" design. Two story mansard roofed rear additional with porch. The result of a fusion between the second Empire and Italianate styles, the Russell-Solberg house originally of brick is of architectural interest; however, addition of stucco to the exterior fabric destroyed its original character. The 1869 newspaper building list shows WC Bussell built a wooden barn, two stories high, for $700 behind this house. The 1870 list records a two-story brick house, the main section was 26 X 42 with a wing 26 X 30 and cost $12,000. William Rawlinson was the builder. Bussell sold the house in 1876. Charles B. Solberg was the first person to live in the house when he moved into it in 1876. It was built by Solberg the same year that he built an addition on to his wholesale/retail grocery business. Solberg immigrated to La Crosse in the 1850s and opened his first grocery store in 1861. In 1870 he built his own building on the corner of 3rd and Pearl. It was to this three story 40x60 building that Solberg, in partnership with John B. Jungen (from 1876 to 1879) added a 60x70 two story addition to the rear. The addition housed the wholesale business. Solberg was an important merchant. His grocery business rivaled that of J.J. Hogan and along with Mons Anderson and James Trane he was one of the most successful Norwegian businessmen in La Crosse history. 2017 UPDATE - THIS BUILDING LOOKS SUBSTANTIALLY LIKE IT DID WHEN LAST SURVEYED IN 1996. |
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| Bibliographic References: | A. Les Crocker, "100 Years of La Crosse Architecture Began with Myrick's Log Cabin: Outreach Times, Falls, 1976, p. 17. B. La Crosse City Directory, 1866-1884. C. History of La Crosse County (1881) pp. 679-680, 683. D. LaCrosse Tribune 5/16/1999. E. Crocker, Leslie. La Crosse Buildings through Time. La Crosse: La Crosse Public Library Archives Department, 2015. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |